ChatGPT and Snapchat’s new AI assistant are two of the most talked-about conversational AI tools right now. ChatGPT, created by Anthropic, is designed to have natural conversations and answer questions on a wide range of topics. Snapchat’s AI assistant is directly integrated into the Snapchat app and is focused on suggesting creative lenses and filters based on the user’s interests.
Both tools utilize large language models and artificial intelligence to converse with users, but they have some key differences in their capabilities and use cases. This article will compare ChatGPT and Snapchat’s AI side-by-side on factors like use cases, limitations, accuracy, creativity, and more.
ChatGPT Overview
ChatGPT was created by Anthropic, an AI safety startup founded by former OpenAI researchers. It is built on top of Claude, Anthropic’s proprietary conversational AI assistant.
Some key things to know about ChatGPT:
- Launched in November 2022.
- Uses a trained version of Anthropic’s Constitutional AI system called Claude.
- Can answer questions, explain concepts, summarize texts, write essays, translate languages, write code, and more.
- Does not require any personal data to function.
- Currently free to use, but may shift to a paid model in the future.
ChatGPT aims to have thoughtful, nuanced conversations and provide helpful information to users. It tries to avoid biased, harmful or untrue responses by using Anthropic’s self-supervised learning technique called Constitutional AI.
ChatGPT Strengths
Some of ChatGPT’s key strengths include:
- Very conversational and human-like tone.
- Capable of answering follow-up questions and admitting knowledge gaps.
- Strong language and writing abilities like summarizing, explaining, translating, writing essays, poems, stories, code and more.
- Fast response time, often replies in seconds.
- Wide knowledge of topics ranging from history and science to pop culture and current events.
ChatGPT Limitations
However, ChatGPT has some important limitations to be aware of as well:
- Does not have objective knowledge of current events after 2021, relies on old training data.
- May occasionally generate untrue or biased responses.
- Limited capabilities with complex logical reasoning or mathematical calculations.
- Cannot maintain long-term context or memory during conversations.
- Does not integrate with external data sources to verify facts.
So while very impressive in many ways, ChatGPT cannot necessarily be relied upon for objective facts and knowledge without oversight from users.
Snapchat AI Overview
In January 2023, Snapchat began rolling out its new AI assistant directly within the Snapchat app. The assistant can generate personalized lenses and filters for users based on their interests, context and profile data.
Key facts about Snapchat’s AI:
- Integrated directly into Snapchat app, no separate website.
- Focused on AR lenses/filters, not general conversational abilities.
- Uses user data like age, interests, location and more to personalize suggestions.
- Still in very early stages, being tested with small percentage of users.
- Part of Snap’s investment into deep learning to enhance AR experiences.
Snap’s goal is for the AI to eventually become “your imaginary best friend” able to have natural conversations. But currently its capabilities center around suggesting creative and personalized lenses based on an understanding of each user.
Snapchat AI Strengths
Snapchat’s AI assistant has a few key strengths:
- Tight integration directly into the Snapchat app.
- Personalization based on user data and interests.
- Focus on AR experiences matches Snapchat’s core product.
- Creative and visually appealing suggestions powered by AI.
- Conversational abilities likely to expand over time.
By integrating AI directly into Snapchat as a “creative assistant”, it provides fun personalized experiences that match the app’s mission.
Snapchat AI Limitations
However, because it is so new, Snapchat’s AI has significant limitations:
- Only available to a small percentage of users in testing.
- Focused narrowly on AR lenses, not general conversational abilities.
- Accuracy and depth of responses remains very limited.
- Does not learn about user over time or maintain conversation context.
- Conversational tone is not very natural or human-like yet.
As an early prototype, Snapchat’s AI has narrow capabilities right now. It remains to be seen how its conversational abilities will evolve over time during testing.
Comparing ChatGPT and Snapchat AI
Now that we’ve provided an overview of both tools, here is a direct comparison between ChatGPT and Snapchat’s AI assistant:
Use Cases
- ChatGPT: Wide range of use cases from answering questions to writing essays, poems, code and more based on conversational prompts.
- Snapchat AI: Narrowly focused on suggesting creative AR lenses and filters based on user data and interests.
ChatGPT aims to be a generalist conversational AI assistant, while Snapchat’s AI is specialized for enhancing AR experiences.
Accessibility
- ChatGPT: Publicly available to anyone online, launched fully in Nov. 2022.
- Snapchat AI: Only available to a small percentage of Snapchat users for testing, not publicly launched.
ChatGPT is accessible to the public now, while Snapchat’s AI remains restricted.
Integration
- ChatGPT: Available on its own website, not integrated into other platforms.
- Snapchat AI: Tightly integrated into the Snapchat mobile app experience.
Snapchat’s AI is part of the app, while ChatGPT is platform-agnostic.
Personalization
- ChatGPT: Minimal personalization based on conversation history.
- Snapchat AI: Highly personalized based on user data like age, location, interests, and more.
Snapchat’s AI is designed specifically for personalization, while ChatGPT aims for general knowledge.
Conversational Abilities
- ChatGPT: Very advanced natural language processing and conversational capabilities.
- Snapchat AI: Very limited basic conversational abilities currently.
ChatGPT far surpasses Snapchat’s AI in terms of conversational depth and realism.
Creative Abilities
- ChatGPT: Strong creative writing skills, but not specialized for AR/visuals.
- Snapchat AI: Focused narrowly on suggesting creative AR lenses and filters.
Snapchat’s AI is tailored specifically for creative and visual suggestions, while ChatGPT has broader creative skills.
Accuracy
- ChatGPT: Good general knowledge, but prone to factual mistakes on recent events.
- Snapchat AI: Too early to evaluate accuracy of responses.
ChatGPT often provides thoughtful responses, but cannot be relied upon as a factual source without oversight. Accuracy of Snapchat’s AI remains to be seen.
Launch Timeline
- ChatGPT: Publicly launched in November 2022.
- Snapchat AI: Began limited testing in January 2023.
ChatGPT is around 3 months ahead of Snapchat in terms of public availability.
Opinions on Which is “Better”
With both AI assistants still relatively new, there is no consensus yet on which one is “better” overall. Here are some perspectives:
- For general conversational abilities, ChatGPT appears significantly more advanced and versatile so far.
- For creative AR experiences personalized to users, Snapchat’s AI integration has more potential.
- As a research tool, ChatGPT may provide more breadth, but require oversight on accuracy.
- For entertainment purposes, Snapchat’s AR lenses powered by AI may have more appeal to its younger demographic.
- As a productivity tool, ChatGPT excels at language tasks like writing and translation.
- For deeper logical reasoning, neither assistant is ideal yet compared to narrow AI systems.
In summary, there are solid arguments that each AI assistant is “better” for certain use cases based on their different strengths. The comparison also depends heavily on whether conversational depth or visual/creative abilities are prioritized.
The Future
Both ChatGPT and Snapchat’s AI assistant are still evolving rapidly. Here is a look at what the future may hold and how the technology could converge:
- Snapchat will likely expand conversational abilities of its AI over time.
- Third parties may build ways to integrate ChatGPT into Snapchat.
- Competitors like Instagram and TikTok may release similar AI features.
- Over time, large language models will become more personalized.
- Regulation and ethical concerns will increase as adoption grows.
- In the long-term, strengths of both could combine into versatile personalized assistants.
Rather than a winner-take-all scenario, the ongoing competition between tech companies in AI development will likely lead to a mix-and-match environment. Users may interact with various AI tools across platforms based on personal preferences and use cases.
Conclusion
ChatGPT shines in conversational abilities and language use cases, while Snapchat’s AI is purpose-built for AR creativity and personalization. Both have strengths and limitations today. Snapchat’s assistant is currently restricted, but its tight integration and visual focus show promise. Meanwhile, the broad capabilities of ChatGPT make it appealing despite requiring oversight on accuracy. Overall, the rapidly evolving landscape of AI chatbots means both assistants are likely to become significantly more advanced and capable over time. But for now, choosing the “best” between ChatGPT vs Snapchat depends heavily on the priorities and interests of each individual user.